Oddbjørn Sørmoen, Magister Artium in Art History from the University of Oslo, studied Restoration at the Royal Institute of Art, Stockholm. He is currently Director of the Department for Church Buildings and Heritage Management, KA, but has a career as Senior Adviser to the Directorate for Cultural Heritage, Norway, and Special Adviser to English Heritage. He has also played a central role in the European network Future for Religious Heritage.
Churches have always been built to celebrate Mass and the unity in faith. In many countries, the movables are considered inseparable parts of the building and its history. In Norway, the Heritage Act protects the architecture but not the movables.